Fair Point: A hands-free ban? - I'm not sure whether it's the right call

But I have to admit I am conflicted on whether a possible new law would be right.

MPs yesterday suggested hands-free mobile phones could be banned as current laws were giving the "misleading impression" hands-free is safe.

Road safety charity Brake says a hands-free phone "can impair a driver in the same way as a hand-held device and so it makes sense that the law treats these acts equally".

And the charity highlighted the deaths caused by people distracted by using hands free.

The Commons Transport Select Committee has been looking into the issue and MPs have said hands-free device creates "the same risks of collision".

An expert also apparently told them that taking a hands-free phone call caused "essentially the same" amount of distraction as being at the legal limit for alcohol blood level in England.

Firstly I should stress I am totally in favour of the law that can you see you get six penalty points and a £200 fine if you use a hand-held phone when driving. Driving one handed at speed with your phone in another is disgusting, putting lives in danger.

Put the phone in the glove compartment on silent is always good advice.

But it is hands-free where things become tricky for me.

As technology has advanced, it has become easier than ever to make and answer a call in what I see as a safe way in modern equipped cars.

Gone are fiddly bluetooth headsets, one of the things that could lead to distractions that could have caused an accident. Instead we are looking at advanced voice commands and the simple press of a button on a steering wheel.

If done right at all times during this process surely you would always have an eye on the road, and control of the vehicle.

And when connected you are simply talking to someone like they are there in the vehicle, an obviously perfectly legal activity.

I do get the arguments to ban it but for those who understand the technology and are operating it in a safe manner, should they see it go due to the actions of others?

The other thing to consider is this could all become academic anyway if, in our lifetimes, driverless cars become the norm.